COOPERSBURG — No lead is safe against Southern Lehigh.

Franklin Township unfortunately found that out the hard way Friday night in the semifinal round of the Senior Connie Mack playoffs at Limeport Stadium.

Franklin was able to jump out to an early five-run lead, but the Spartans chipped away and eventually took a lead in the sixth inning. While the Mud Dawgs rallied in the seventh, their comeback attempt came up just short as they dropped an 8-7 decision.

The win sends Southern Lehigh into tonight’s championship game against Northampton, while Franklin will wait until late next week for the state playoffs.

“I want to credit Southern Lehigh,” said FT manager JC Dietz. “They’re 19-0 for a reason. And I just told our kids, we basically went toe-to-toe with a team that’s 19-0 and they don’t have many holes. And when you’re 19-0, you’re 19-0 for a reason.

“I’m very proud of our effort. We got those runs, and everything was going well. It was 5-0, but you know that team wasn’t going to go down without a fight. That’s why they are who they are.”

The visitors, who entered the contest with a seven-game winning streak, struck first in the opening inning. Braylon Hunsicker walked, moved to second on a passed ball, stole third and came home on a Logan Bellis sacrifice fly.

The lead swelled to 5-0 in the third when Franklin pushed across four runs. Hunsicker again started the uprising with a single and eventually scored on a Bellis single. Grant Birnbaum hit a hot shot past the Solehi third baseman to drive in another run, while a double steal resulted in another tally. Luke Haydt capped the scoring with an RBI single.

“We haven’t given up five runs all year, in any game,” said Spartan skipper Matt Greenawald. “So that start was obviously not what we were looking for. The message was just relax. We’ve not struggled to score runs for the most part all season. We’ve been a good team all season, but we did find ourselves in a position we weren’t in very often.

“Once we got a few runs ... the message was this is baseball, this is why we play. Those are the times you find out what you’re made of. We could have panicked. We could have folded up the tent and said, good season, let’s try again at states, or we could battle.”

Battle is what they did.

A sacrifice fly by Adam Fritts and a run-scoring single from Chase Thompson pulled the host club within 5-2. In the fifth, PK Thompson knocked in a run with a single, while Gabriel Magallanes delivered an RBI double to pull the Spartans within a run.

“I didn’t sense it was slipping away but I knew for a fact that five runs was not winning that game,” said Dietz. “I told the kids that right away, this game is not over. There was no way five runs was going to win that game. You could just tell. And we were dodging some bullets early. They left the bases loaded at least twice, and we got out of it.”

Dietz and his team, however, couldn’t dodge the sixth inning.

Southern Lehigh’s Mason Schwartz led off with a single to left. Back-to-back bunt singles by Chase Thompson and Braden Greenawald loaded the bases. Braylon Showalter doubled over the right fielder’s head to bring in the tying and go-ahead run. After an intentional walk, a fielder’s choice brought in another run while a hit by pitch with the bases loaded made it 8-5.

“We knew about their bunting,” said Dietz. “They manufacture a lot of runs with their bunting ... They’re fundamental. They do their thing. I hate to say it a third time, but that’s why they’re 19-0.

“Clearly there in the bottom of the sixth, it was the little things,” added Greenawald. “There was a base hit, a good bunt, another good bunt. Now the bases (are) loaded, and let’s get them in. And then we were able to get four runs that inning. Obviously, that was ideal because they weren’t backing down. They were coming there for us in the seventh.”

True to Greenawald’s words, Franklin battled to the end.

Three consecutive one-out singles by Cash White, Birnbaum and Brayden Ulshafer loaded the bases. After a second out, Parker Rodgers singled to score two and cut the deficit to one. Reliever Dominic Ruggeri got a strikeout to end the game and send the Spartans to the title game.

“I have to tip my hat,” said Greenawald of FT. “Those guys, first of all it’s a great baseball team but it’s also a great group of guys. They’re very classy, they play the game the right way and they coach it the right way. I thought if we’re going to get beat, there’s nobody I’d rather lose to than those guys.

“But, that being said, the moment for us was let’s see what we’re made of, and they did.”

“In the seventh, with most kids, you blow that lead, you’re down by three in the seventh with one out, most teams just fold,” added Dietz. “And that’s not this team. They brought it to 8-7 with the tying run on second base. What a baseball game! They scored one more run than us, but it’s not really anything we did wrong. They’re just a very good team.”

AT THE PLATE ... Rodgers finished with three hits for Franklin, while White and Birnbaum each had two hits. White scored twice, as did Hunsicker.

ON THE MOUND ... FT’s Haydt battled on the mound, getting out of a few bases-loaded situations. He threw 94 pitches and kept his team in the game.

Franklin Twp. 104 000 2 - 7 11 2

So. Lehigh 001 124 x - 8 9 0

Haydt, White (6) and Goida; Thompson, Showalter (5), Ruggeri (7) and Greenawald. W - Showalter. L - Haydt.

Records: Franklin Township (14-5); Southern Lehigh (19-0).